April 26, 2004
Rink Notes
One item I missed over the weekend was the news that we might not see NHL players in the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy if a labor crisis eats up too much of the 2004-05 regular season. As far as I'm concerned, I'd be happier if the NHL never sent another player to the Olympics ever again. Instead, the brains that run international ice hockey should just substitute the Olympics for the World Junior Championships in Olympic years, and give a new group of young and hungry players an opportunity to excel on the world stage.
Another news item that leaked concerned the proposal to trim 10 games from the regular season schedule beginning next year. Turns out you can lose those ten games by simply eliminating interconference play, and setting up a schedule that more closely resembles Major League Baseball before the advent of interleague play. Like Tom Benjamin, I'm for it, especially if it means avoiding competing head on with baseball playoffs every year. There have been more than a few years when I've felt the start of the NHL season has gotten lost in the mix media-wise, and a later start can only help. And that doesn't even begin to examine the potential benefit from more reasonable travel schedules, and how that might keep players healthier for the playoffs.
Larry Brooks of the New York Post is reporting that ownership in Ottawa is trying to hire Scotty Bowman to replace the deposed Jacques Martin, a move that might also involve Dominik Hasek. Brooks also talks about how the Rangers might try to sign Canucks goalie and former Rangers prospect Dan Cloutier, a possibility that Tom Benjamin examines here. Speaking of coaches, ex-Blues and Team Canada head coach Joel Quenneville had to leave the team at the World Championships last week after he was hospitalized for exhaustion. Anaheim's Mike Babcock has taken his place. Here's hoping Quenneville, one of the league's good guys, and one who has been mentioned in connection with the Rangers job, enjoys a speedy recovery. For all the news on the least significant international hockey tournament, click here.
Vancouver Canucks Op Ed is going on hiatus for the Spring and Summer. Congratulations to Jeff and Allanah on a great first season.
And finally, if you're not reading Colby Cosh's NHL Playoff Page, you're making a big mistake.
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Tracked on April 27, 2004 12:59 AM
Anything that limits the burden of travel in the NHL would, of course, be more disproportionately good for my Oilers than for any other team. It still seems deeply impractical, since it means half the league will never see a given star on home ice. No more Habs or Leafs visits to Edmonton, and no more chances for fans in the US northeast to see Sakic, Forsberg, Naslund, or Iginla live. No more chances for old Nords fans to root for the Avs in Montreal. A whole category of Original Six matchups (Chicago-New York, Detroit-Boston) permanently relegated to oblivion. That's all pretty hard to swallow. Hasn't the league gone quite far enough in this (essentially corner-cutting) direction already?
Posted by:
at April 26, 2004 08:50 PM
Or, to put it another way, think about draft day. "The Washington Capitals choose Alexander Ovechkin first overall. [Cheers] Too bad you fans in Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Vancouver, and Los Angeles will probably never get to see your teams play against him. In fact, he might as well be in a totally different league. Sorry about that!" Marketing genius at work!
Posted by:
at April 26, 2004 08:54 PM
Colby is right -- what will happen out here in LA -- where so many of us are from somewhere else? Even for Montreal you see a sizable contingent of people wearing the CH. I can only imagine what it's like when the Rangers come to town.
It's getting Nashville and Columbus out here twice a year that we could do without.
Posted by:
at April 27, 2004 12:18 AM
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